Station indicator



May l, 1923i.

' -11. a. wawm STATION INDICATOR Filed March 1.6, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet l May 1, 1923. 1,453,339

J. C. WGOD 7 STATION INDI CATOR 9 Filed March 16 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 1, l923.

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JOQEFH (3. W001), DE JACKSON, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR 01E ONEEOUETHEO WILLIAM IVL LANE AND ONE-EIGHTH 'lO iNILLIAlt l E.

BERGER, BOTH E JACKSON, TENNESSEE.

SIATIGN INDICATOR.

Application filed March 16, 1922.- Serial No. %,202.

T0 all whom it may concern: I Be it known that l, Josnrrr C. Ween, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the county of Madison and State and has for its object the provision of an improved mechanism whereby the name of a station toward which a car is proceeding may be dlsplayed wlthin the view of all the passengers in the car, a further object being to provide novel means whereby the direction of travel of the indicating member in ay be readily reversed so that the names of the stations will be displayed successively in the proper order according to the direction of travel of the car. The invention also has for its object the provision of means for compensating for the variation in the diameter of the Wound web as the web is unwound from one drum or roller onto another drum or roller, and a i urther object of the invention is to provide means whereby a web oi? considerable length maybe accommodated and said web adjusted so that the operative portion thereof will bring into view the names of stations upon any particular run which the car is to make. Uther objects of the invention will. appear incidentally in the course of the following description, and the invention resides in certain novel features which will be particularly pointed. out in the claims following the description.

In the accompanying drawings which illur 'rate one embodiment of my invention igure 1 is a perspective view oi my improved st ation indicator;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the same with the front wall of the casing removed and parts broken away and in section; j

j 3 is an end elevation with the casing in section, showing the operating mechanism; j i

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken in a plane between the operating mechanism and the gearing acting directly upon the webcarrying drums;

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section taken between the ends oi? the web-carrying drums;

Fig. 6 is adetail horizontal section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2; i

Fig. 7 is a detail section on the line 77 of Fig.3;

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of one end of the inner roller which carries the inactive portion of the indicating web;

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of one endoit a gear shifting bar;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view 01 a crank which may be employed to adjust the web; 7

Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of a split nut employed in the device;

Fig. 12 is a detail cross section or said nut;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing means whereby the indicator may be automatically operated;

Fig. 14 is a detail elevation of a part of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 18.

In carrying out my invention, ll employ a casing 1 which will preferably be constructed of sheet metal so as to possess the necessary strength and du ability without excessive weight, the front wall 2 of the casing being removable to facilitate an inspection oi the operating mechanism and adjustment oi? the parts when necessary or desirable and being also provided with a glazed sight opening 3 through which the names of the stations may be read. On the back wall of the casing 1, it provide a bulb t which may be electrically connected with the illuminating system of the car, whereby the indicator may be easily read at night.

Within the casing, it provide a frame 5 which may be of any convenient form whereby it will accommodate the working parts and may be removed bodily with the operating mechanism when repairs or renewal of any parts may be needed. Carried by the ends of: this frame -5 and extending longitudinally or the casing are drums or rollers 6 and 7 provided with annular flanges 8 at their ends and upon which the indicator web 9 is wound, the flanges 8 preventing endwise movement of the web so that it will be always in proper position to permit the name of the next station to be easily read through the sight opening 3. The drums or rollers 6 and 7 are duplicates in construction and are mounted one above the other, each drum or roller being provided at one end with a hollow trunnion 10 and at the opposite end with a shaft or trunnion 11 which are disposed concentric with the drum, as will be readily understood. One end of each drum is provided with an opening 12 through which. may pass a latch pin 13 carried by a spring 14: secured upon the outer side of the end plate of the drum and within each drum is a roller 15 disposed coaxially therewith and provided at one end with a disk or plate 16 having an annular series of openings 17 therethrough in any one of which the latch pin 13 may engage. A trunnion 18 projects centrally from the disk or end plate 16 and is provided with an angular end 19, as clearly shown. The outer extremity of the hollow trunnion 10 is also of an angular cross section, as indicated at 20, and in the adjacent end wall of the casing is an opening 21, through which a setting crank may be passed to engage the trunnion 18 or the trunnion l0, asthe case may be. One form of setting crank which may be employed is shown in Fig. 10 and comprises a body member 22 having a socket 23 at each end, and also provided at each end on the opposite side from the sockets, with a handle 24. The ends of the web 9 are secured in any convenient manner within the respective rollers 15, as indicated in 5, and the inactive portions of the web are wound upon the said rollers, the active portions thereof extending through longiti'zdinal slits or slots 25 in the drums 6 and being then wound upon the drums, as will be readily understood upon reference to Fig. 5. Normally, the inner rollers 15 are fixed relative to the respective outer rollers or drums 6 and are held in such fixed relation by the engagement of the latch pin 13 in an opening 17, travel of the web being effected by rotation of the outer drums through the operating mechanism which will be hereinafter fully set "forth. If it be desired to adjust the operative portion of the indicator web at the end of a circular run, for instance, the larger socket 23 of the crank 22 is engaged through the opening 21 and upon the adjacent trunnion 10 of the drum onto which the web is to be wound. Rotation of the drum is then etfected by turning the crank in an obvious manner so that when the operating mechanism is restored to operative position, the drums will be actuated to display the names of the stations in the proper succession. The construction described permits a long web to be provided in each indicator and this Web may contain the names of stations in several divisions of the road or upon several different runs. That portion of the web containing the names of the stations which will be passed by the car on any particular run is wound upon the drum 6, while the r maining portions of the web will be wound upon the inner rollers 15 and housed within the drums. To effect this adjustment. of the web, the latch pin 13 is withdrawn from its engagement with the openings 12 and 1?.

and the latch spring 14 then swung to one side so that the pin 13 will he held in inoperative position by bearing upon the un perforated portion of the end 01 the drum. The roller 15 within each drum (3 is in this manner released from the encircling (ll'llll) ti and the smaller socket 23 ot the crank 22 is then engaged over the trunnion 18 ot the roller upon which the web is to he wound and said roller rotated. The rotation of the roller will draw the web through the slot 25 of the outer drum and wind it upon the roller 15, a corresponding portion of the web being unwound from the other roller 15 and drawn through and from the other drum 6. When the portion of the web con taining the names of the stations along the proper run has been withdrawn from the drum within which it was housed. the latch pins 13 are returned to operative position and the inner rollers 15 will then he again fixed relative to the outer drums. By then engaging the crank with tho trunnion 10 of the proper drum 6, the drums may be rotated so that the web will be wound on the proper drum to bring the end of the station at the end of the run into view behind the sight opening. The crank is then withdrawn and the device will be ready for operation in the usual manner. At the end opposite the trunnion 18, each inner roller is provided with a stud trunnion 2G seating in a socket or hub 27 provided upon the adjacent end plate 28 ot the enclosing drum in axial alincment with the shaft 11 projecting from said hub.

The shaft 11 has a gear wheel 29 slidably mounted thereon but constrained to rotate therewith, and a spring 30 is coiled around the shaft between the hub 27 and the said gear and tends constantly to hold the gear toward the outer end of the shaft. Fired within the adjacent end of the carrying frame 5 between the upper and lower gears 29 is an axle pin 31, upon which mounted a driving gear 32, the said driving gear being adapted to mesh directly with the lower gear 29 and also mesh with an idler 33 carried by the frame and in turn arranged to mesh with the upper gear 2 Means to be described is provided to shift the respective gears 29 into or out of operative position and. as shown in Fig. 2. one or the other gear 29 is always out of alinemeu with the driving gear. It the lower gear 29 be in operative position and in mesh with the driving gear 32. the lower drum 6 will be actuated to wind the indicator web and the upper drum will be actuated only through the pull exerted thereon through the web. T the lower gear be out of mesh with the driving gear, the upper gear 2-9 will be in mesh with the idler and the indicator web will then be caused to travel in the opposite direction and wound upon the upper drum whilc unllti iaeasso winding from the lowerdrum. To actuate the driving gear and through the same rotate the proper drum, 1 provide an operating lever 34; which is loosely mounted upon the fulcrum pin or axle S1 and consists of two similar members arranged at opposite sides of the driving gear, as shown most clearly in Fig. 7. A pawl 35 is pivoted upon this operating lever and is adapted to engage the teeth of the gear 32 in an obvious manner. it the free end of the operating lever between the members thereof is mounted an idler pulley 36, about which is trained the operating cable 37. @ne end of the cable 37 is secured to an anchor post 38 upon the casing l or to some other lined part of the indicator or the car in which it is mounted and the cable extends forwardly tilt till

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from the said anchor over an idler roller 39 mounted upon the top of the casing), l and then extends downwardly through the openinp; 4.0 in the top of the casing to pass to and under the idler pulley 36 at the end of the operating lever. The cable then passes upwardly and emerges through the slot l to pass over an idler roller i1. provided on the top of the casino; 1 and may then pass to the end of the car where it may be arranged in any convenient manner to be actuated by the conductor or otherwise manipulated. The particular manner in which movement is imparted to the operating cable is immaterial and it may be carried over suitable guide pulleys to an operating device ar ranged within convenient reach of the motorman or it may be connected with a door of the car so as to be actuated when the door is opened. When connected with the door, it will, of course, be necessary for the mo-- torinan or the conductor to actuate the cable when a stop is not made at any particular station. The cable may also be operated automatically through means external to the car. The operatinglever 34: is normally held in its lowered position by a spring T2 attached to the lever and to a convenient part of the frame 5 so that, after the lever has been raised by a pull exerted upon the operating cable, the spring will at once re turn the lever to its lower initial position. l l hen a pull is exerted upon the cable. the bipght of the same within the casing will ebviouslybe shortened so that the free end. of the lever Sl will be swung}; upwardly and this movement will be imparted to the driving! near 32 through the pawl a like movement being transmitted to the upper or the lower drum 6, as the case may he. llpon return movement of the lever, the pawl 35 will ride freely over the near 32 and to prevent retrograde movement of the drivine' ear at such. time, ll provide a doe 4L3 which is secured upon the frame 5 in position to engage the gear and maybe of any convenient form.

To shift the gears 29 so that the indicator web will be caused to travel in the proper direction, l provide a shifting bar 4A which is supported in a vertical position upon the frame 5 between the said frame and the gears and is constructed at its ends with offset cam portions 4:5 adapted to bear against the outer ends of the hubs 46 of the gears, will be readily understood, the ends of the shifting bar being slotted or notched, as shown at 4L7, to ride past the respective shafts 11. Between its ends, the shifting bar is provided with a rearwardly projecting arm 48 which is offset laterally, as shown at all), in rear of the frame 5 and has an upstanding terminal 50 rising from the said offset portion. This vertical terminal 50 has a pin and slot connection 51 with the rear end of a reversing lever 52 which is loosely mounted upon the fulcrum pin 31 and to the ends of which are attached cables or chains 53 which depend through the bottom of the casing 1 and are equipped with rings or other convenient forms of handles 54. whereby they may be manipulated. By pulling; downwardly upon one or the other chain 53, the reversing lever 52 will he swung; about its fulcrum and the bar 4a thereby shifted vertically so that the offsets 415 thereof will be caused one to move out of engagement with the adjacent hub 46 and the other to move into engagement with the adjacent hub 4-6 to shift the gears 29 and thereby reversethe direction of travel of the web.

inasmuch as the diameters of the wound portions of the web will. respectively in crease and decrease as the travel of the web proceeds, the name of the station to be displayed will not always register properly with the sight opening; unless means be provided to compensate for the variation in the diameters of the wound portions of the web. To effect such compensation. .l provide means which will be shifted simultaneously with. the gears 29 and will be actuated by that drum from which the web is unwinding. llpon the end of the frame 5 between the same and the ad'iacent end of the casing, l mount the upper and lower vertically disposed alined adjustable stops 55 in the form of an enlargement or head interposed in the path of lugs 56 extending laterally from the free end of the operating lever. From each head it) extends a stem 57 which. is slidably and rotatably mounted. in suitable bearings upon the frame 5 and has its end portion remote from the head threaded. as indicated at 58, to be engaged by a split resilient nut 59. The said nut is adapted to encircle the threaded portion of the stem 57 and is constructcd with a shank portion 60 connectinp; the head of the nut with a base portion 61. The said. base portion being arcuate in form so as to lit around the end of the stem and partially house the same and also being llll provided with a lateral tongue 62 through which fastening devices may be inserted into the adjacent port on of the frame whereby to secure the nut n position. A spring 63 is coiled around the stem between the head of the nut 59 and an abutment or shoulder at the end of the stem and serves to imediately retract the stop or head when the nut is released from the stem. The stem is encircled by and has a feathered connection with a worm pinion 65 which is held against vertical movement by any convenient means upon the frame and meshes with a worm 66 on a shaf 67 which is supported horizontally upon the said frame 5. The shaft 67 is mounted in suitable bearings upon the frame and at its rear end is equipped with a beveled .ion 68 meshingwith a beveled pinion 69 fixed upon the end of the adjacent shaft 11, as shown clearly in Fig. 6. Obviously, the rotation of the shaft 11 will be transmitt d through the gears 69 and 68 to the shaft 67 and will be then transmitted through the worm gearing; 66 and 65 to the stem 57 so as to rotate said stem. the nut 59 be in engagement with the threaded portion of the stem, the rotation of said stem will effect longitudinal travel of the same and the head or stop will be fed progressively toward the striker lugs 56 at the free end of the operating lever 53 so that the throw of said lever will be progressively shortened and the travel of the web at each successive operation will be decreased, thereby compensating for the variation in the diameters of the wound portions of the web and bringing the displayed name of the station into proper position behind the sight opening. To properly shift the nuts 59 into and out of engagement with the respective stems 57, I provide the shifting bar- 70 which is slidably mounted in a vertical position upon the frame 5 and between its ends has a pin and slot connection 71 with the forward end of the reversing lever 52. The ends of the shifter bar 70 are offset so as to extend forwardly, as indicated at 72, and the extremities of these forwardly project ing portions are formed into collars or nut encircling members 73 which pass around the nuts, as shown and as will be readily understood. It will also be noted that the shanks 60 of the nuts are tapered reversely and the encircling; portions 73 of the shifter bar are so arranged that when the encircling portion at one end of the shifter bar is at the smaller end of the corresponding shank 60, the other encircling member 73 will be at the wider end of the corresponding shank or nut and by its engagement with said wider end will compress the nut about the stem and cause the same to engage the threaded portion of the stem whereby the proper travel will be effected.

In Figs. 13 and 14, I hav shown one form of apparatus which may be employed to effect automatic operation of the iinlicator. In this embodiment of the invention, :1 casing 75 is provided upon the side of the car and within the said casing is mounted a rock shaft 76 connected at its inner end with the operating cable 37 so that, when the shaft is rocked, a proper pull will be exerted upon the said cable to actuate the operating lever 34:, it being understood that the inner end of the rock shaft is disposed within the car. Upon the outer end of the rock shaft 76 within the casing '75. I secure a lever 77 which rises from the said shaft and intermediate its ends is offset, as indicated at 78, to pass through an arcuate slot 79 provided in the side of the casing. The lever 77 may extend to any desired height above the car and is adapted to impinge against a bracket or actuating arm 80 which may be projected from a trolley pole or from any fixed structure adjacent a station. Of course. as the travel of the car brings the lever against the said bracket, the lever will be swung backwardly so as to ride under the projection and the indicator will be operated. To hold the lever normally in vertical position, I provide a T-head 81 at the lower end of the lever and between the ends of the T-head and the bottom of the casing 7:1. I arrange retractile springs 82 which normally hold the T-head in a horizontal position. When the lever is rocked by impact upon the bracket 80. the forward spring 82 will. be extended while the rear spring; 82 will be compressed and the action of the springs will return the lever to its upright position as soon as the lu'aclvct' or other projection has been cleared. To limit the return movement of the lover so that it will come to rest in the vertical position without excessive oscillation, I provide stop levers 88 which are pivotally mounted within the casing '75 at opposite sides of the rock shaft 76 and in the front and rear edges of the lever, I provide notches 84 which are adapted to be engaged by the upper ends of the said stop levers, as will be readily uudcrstood on reference to Fig. 14-. A link 85 connects the said lever so as to insure simultaneous movement thereof, and a. spring 86 is attached to the bottom of the casing 75 and to one of the levers in such a position that the lever will be held in the position in which it may be set. To the upper free ends of the stop levers, I secure the ends of a reversing cable 87 which extends through the ends of the casing '75 to the ends of the car and are there trained around idler rollers 88. the intermediate portion of the cable being attached to and partly wound about the base 89 of the trolley 90 so that, when the trolley is reversed, the cable will be correspondingly actuated and the lovers S3 swung about their pivots so that the formerly inactive lever will engage the co-operating notch in the lever intense 77, The travel of the web will thus be automaticallyreversed at ach end of a run when the trolley is reversed. lf, however, the car should betraveling on a loop or upon a cir cular run, the stop levers 83 will not be reversed, and it will be necessary to reset the web so that the names of the stations willbe lid displayed in the proper order. This result will b attained by moving the reversing lever 52 into a neutral position or midway its extreme positions, thereby bringing the offset portions of the shifting bar as into sufficient engagement with the hubs l6 to hold both gears 29 in inoperative position. While the reversing lever is thus in neutral position, the member 22 is caused to engage the trunnion 10 of that drum from which the web was previously unwound and rotate said. drum so as to again wind the web thereon. When the name of the starting station again appears at the sight opening, the crank is withdrawn and the reversing lever returned to its former position, whereupon the indicator will be ready for a second trip of the car.

ln. actual practice, a bell or gong is mounted on the casing and operatively connected with the lever 3a so as to be sounded whenever the indicator belt is shifted and the attention of the passengers thereby attracted. its this is a well-known device, however, I have deemed illustration thereof unnecessary.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that l have provided a simple, compact and easily adjusted mechanism whereby the names of stations may be successively displayed in proper order and whereby the travel of the web may be easily reversed'so as to display the names of tions in reverse order upon a return trip of the car. lnasmuch as it provide means for carrying a web of considerable length and maintaining a portion of the same in inoperative position, it will be readily understood that a single indicator may be used upon a large number of different runs and also upon different divisions of a railroad.

llt is to be understood that the showing of th trip 80 herein is illustrative only and not restrictive, and said trip may be suspended from a guy wire connected with a trolley wire or from any other fixed support. Uther changes in minor details may be made at will without involving any departure from the spirit or scope of the invention as the same is defined in the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a station indicator, the combination of a display web, means for effecting travel of said web including a vibratory lever, a stop in the pathof the lever, and means for feeding the step toward the lever for progressively limiting the travel of, the web.

2. in a station indicator, the combination of upper and lower drums, an indicator web carried by said drums and adapted to wind upon one drum as it unwinds from the other drum, means for rotating said drums, in cluding a vibratory lever, stops in the path of the lever, and means operated by the unwinding drum for feeding one of the stops toward the lever for progressively limiting the travel of the web.

3. In a station indicator, the combination of upper and lower drums, an indicator web carried by said drums, a shaft disposed be tween the axles of said drums, trains of gearing connecting said shaft with the respective drums, a lever fulcrumed upon said shaft, means carried by said lever for ac tuating the trains of gearing to effect travel of the web, means for reversing the direction of travel of the web, stops arranged at opposite sides of the lever, and means for selectively feeding the stops toward the lever whereby to progressively limit the movement of the lever and the web.

a. ln a station indicator, a pair of co-operating drums, means for rotating said drums, means for reversing the direction of rotation of the drums, each of said drums being provided with a longitudinal slot, a roller disposed within each drum, a web having its ends secured to said rollers and a portion wound about the same, the intermediate portion of the web passing through the slots in the respective drums and being wound about the same and passing from one drum to the other drum, means whereby the rollers may be rotated within their respective' drums, and releasable means for locking the rollers to the respective drums, whereby to prevent relative rotation of the drums and the rollers.

5. In a station indicator, a pair of webcarrying drums, a roller within each drum and mounted for rotation therein, means for locking each roller to its respective drum, and a web having end portions secured to and wound about the rollers and its intermediate portion passing through the circumferential walls of the drums and wound about the drums and extending from one drum to the other drum.

6. In a station indicator, a pair of webcarrying drums, rollers within the drums, a web having its end portions secured to and wound about the rollers and its intermediate portion extending between and wound upon the drums and passing through the drums to the rollers, a locking plate at one end of each roller, a latch pin carried by the respective drum and adapted to engage said locking plate, whereby to lock the drum and the roller against relative rotation, and

means whereby the rollers and the drums may be selectively rotated simultaneously or independently.

Lit,

7. In a station indicator, the combination of upper and lower drums, a web carried by said drums and adapted to wind onto one drum as it unwinds from the other drum, shafts extending from tile ends of said drums, gears slidably mounted upon said shafts, yieldable means for holding the gears toward the outer ends of the shafts, a driving gear, an operating lever mounted concentric with the driving gear, a pawl carried by said lever and engaging the driving gear, means for actuating said operating lever, a reversing lever mounted concentric with the driving gear and the operating lever, a shifting bar slidably mounted adjacent the firstmentioned gears and provided adjacent its ends with cam portions adapted to bear against respectively adjacent gears and move the same inwardly, and operative connections between said shifting bar and the reversing lever whereby upon movement of said lever one of the slidable gears will be shifted into operative relation to the driving gear and the other of said gears will be shifted into inoperative relation to the driving gear, and means for operating the reversing lever.

8. In a station indicator, the combination of upper and lower drums, a web carried by said drums and adapted to wind onto one drum as it unwinds from the other drum, means for rotating the drums including an actuating lever, means for reversing the direction of rotation of the drums, adjustable stops in the path of the actuating lever for limiting the travel of the web at each operation of the drums, means operable by the drums for effecting travel of said stops toward the actuating lever, and shifting means whereby the last-mentioned means will be actuated by the drum from which the web unwinds.

. 9. In a station indicator, the combilnition of upper and lower drums, a web carried by said drums and arranged to wind onto one drum as it unwinds from the other drum, means for actuating trains of gearing and an operating lever adapted to selectively actuate either train of gearing, a lateral abutine t on the operating lever, adjustable stops interposed in the path of said abutment at the opposite sides of the said abutment,- and means selectively operated by ;he drum wherein" one of said stops will be progressively fed tovvard the abutment by the drum from which the web unwinds.

10. In a station indicator, the combination of upper and lower drums, a web carried by said drums and arranged to wind onto one drum as it unwinds from the other drum, means for rotating the drums including an operating lever adapted to transfer motion to either drum, a lateral abutment on said lever, stops mounted at opposite sides of said abutment in the path oi the same and each including a head and a stem having a threaded portion, a shaft arranged adjacent each stein, gearing operativel y connectin the said shafts and the respectively adj accnt stems and arranged to permit endwise movement of the stems, nearing operatively connecting the said sharts with the respectively adjacent drum, split nuts arranged to engage the threaded portions of the respective stems, and means for selectively opening and closing said nuts whereby one or the other of said stems will be caused to travel endwise as it is rotated In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

JOSEPH o. WOOD. [Ls] said drums comprising 

